In connection with different types of surgical interventions it is always important to prevent infections as far as possible, which can be made in different ways. In the usual procedure, the surgical area on the patient's body is first disinfected with alcohol or some other disinfectant. Subsequently, the patient is dressed in surgical cloths and sheets. Moreover, the operating personnel work in sterile overalls, protective masks and sterile gloves.
The surgical cloths having so-called barriers against contaminating material are today available in essentially two embodiments. One variant consists of non-disposable material of polyester and/or cotton with an intermediate plastic sheeting barrier. The textile fabric serves as an absorbent, while the plastic constitutes a fluid barrier. The surgical cloth is attached to the patient's skin by detachable pieces of tape. One disadvantage of this variant is that it is difficult to see if the tape pieces are properly attached to the skin, which otherwise would result in a risk of leakage. In addition, there is a risk of bacteria, viruses and other contaminants migrating, or even migrating back, from the surgical cloth and into the surgical area, i.e. the location on the patient's body where the surgical intervention is to be performed.
The second and most frequent variant is disposable laminate consisting of non-woven and plastic sheeting having an edge fitted with tape. The non-woven material constitutes an absorbent, while the plastic serves as a barrier against contaminants. The disadvantages of this variant are that it must be disposed of after having been used only once, that it is difficult to see with the eye if the edge fitted with tape is properly attached to the skin, that the non-woven material may have been delaminated, that wet non-woven material may detach itself, for example, when gloves and sleeves are drawn to it and that it is difficult to attach surgical cloths overlapping one another since tape adheres unsatisfactorily to nonwoven.